Dust-guard.



PATENTED JULY 10, 1906.

J. S. PATTEN.

DUST GUARD.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.25,1905.

Inventor James 6? P1227622 witnesses rr rnn sra rngs PATENT omnon.

JAMES S. PATTEN, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO BLAIR LEE AND GEORGE H. LAMAR, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

DUST-GUARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 10, 1906.

Application filed March 25,1905. Serial No. 252,063,

To all 1071 0710 7 l/(l/Z/ concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES S. PATTEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Baltimore, State of Maryland, have invented new and useful Improvements in Dust-Guards, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a dust-plate that shall be effective and satis factory without any attention whatever from the time the car goes into service until wear of other parts causes the return of the car to the shop to be again put in order, that shall be so simple and inexpensive that replacing the guard by a new one when the car is thus in the shop costs so little that the amount is of no practical moment, and, further, that shall be readily applied to the ordinary car without any change whatever in any part.

A dust-guard of some kind has always been found very desirable, if not indispensable, and a great variety of devices have been suggested or used. Dust-guards now generally employed are usually of one of two types, the guard having a plate of one or more pieces perforated for the passage of the axle and resting against the plane or rear end of the axle-box or lying in a recess in the axle-box and pressed against one face of the recess, the latter type being the one ordinarily employed upon most roads. The working face of the plate is usually forced against the coacting face of the box with a yielding pressure, due to springs or to the elasticity of the material in whole or in part forming the plate. This plate, as is well known, has an almost con stant vertical sliding movement with respect to the axle-box, while its horizontal movement is practically very slight. If any small parts, such as spring ends, are thus made to slide constantly under pressure upon a surface rarely entirely smooth, such parts are soon worn out. For various reasons, however, it is not practicable to frequently inspect these guards and to replace those which are prematurely out of order, and hence the car is used with defective guards until it is necessary on other grounds to take it to the shop. Another evil existing with many dustguards of the inclosed type lies in the fact that dirt often accumulates in such a way as to hold the plate away from its proper seat or to prevent its free sliding movement. In the first case dust enters, and in the second, the plate, not being free to move, is worn by the axle, so that it entirely fails to perform its function.

The suggested advantages are gained and the evils avoided by employing a simple and light perforated guard-plate inclosed in the axle-box and having all its edges beveled toward its working face, so that it may scrape from its seat any accumulating dirt by employing springs to press this plate to its seat and so constructing and arranging the springs that the movement of the plate flexes the springs but does not cause their ends to slide materially upon the surface against which they act or react. Preferably the springs are further so arranged that they press the plate to its seat by force exerted near each of its four corners or at quadrantal points if the plate be not rectangular.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an axial vertical section of an axle-box, the axle and my devices being in working posi tion. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the upper portion of the plate seen in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4 is a view analogous to Fig. 3, showing a modified construction. Fig. 5 is a rear view of further modification, wherein a metal plate is used. Fig. 6 is a section on the line 8 8, Fig. 5.

In Figs. 1, 2, and 3, Arepresents a common form of axle-box, and B an ordinary axle therein. In a pocket C in the rear portion of the axle-box is placed a dust-guard plate D, which in this instance is a simple perforated board of wood rectangular in form and having all its edges beveled, as shown at D. The upper and lower edges of this board are grooved at D and in the upper groove is placed a spring formed by bending each end portion of a wire D at D D obliquely toward the perpendicular to the wire at its middle point, bending each of those portions sharply outward in a plane approximately parallel to the middle portion, and at the same time swinging the ends from the plane of the board, so that when the spring is properly pushed to the bottom of the groove in the board the free end portions passing inward in slots or grooves D D the two ends lie without the plane of the board and nearly over its opposite lateral edges. Beneath each free end portion the board is grooved, so that these portions can be pressed inward to be flush with the surface of the board, and while the grooves are narrow at the points D D and hence hold the wires against lateral move ment at these points, they are widened at D, so that the wires, although pressed down in the grooves, are yet free to spring laterally. The sharp ends of the wires when the plate is in place bite the rear face of the pocket in which the board lies, and as the pocket is so narrow that the spring ends are at all times pressed toward the board from their normal positions the board is always pressed against the front face of the pocket and at the same time kept nearly central upon this face. The spring at the lower side of the plate is a duplicate of the one at the upper side, and hence each of the four corners or quarters is independently pressed and perfect contact of the board and its seat is maintained and more effectively than it would be were the ends of the arms nearer the vertical axis of the plate. The four spring-arms being horizontal and of considerable length, they readily bend in any direction transverse to their general courses of directions enough to accommodate the relative movement of the axle and the spring ends and do not slip nor wear materially, al-

though it is found that owing to very slight vibrations or trembling of the wires these ends ultimately wear a slight recess in the surface against which they rest, and thereby are held in place if the sharp edge becomes dulled. The bevel of the plate, should there be a great accumulation of dirt in the pocket, tends to force the dirt to the face of the box and ultimately to push it out instead of packing it in position to hold the plate fast. The spring may be held in the groove in any suitable manner, as by the use of rivets D".

Fig. 4 shows a slightly-different spring E, bent to form a small eye E at the middle and pushed into its groove only so far as to leave the free arms of the spring entirely outside the mouth of the groove. Preferably the groove is lined with sheet metal E As before, the spring may be held in place by a rivet E and the board may be strengthened by other rivets E Figs. 5 and 6 represent a plane metal plate H, of oval outline, having on one side sharp ribs H to rest against the plates seat and upon the opposite face strengthening-ribs H Through heavy ribs H pass horizontal springs H, whose ends are held out from the plane of the plate by slightly-concave lugs H Should the plates seat be not smooth or plane, the ribs H soon cut a suitable seat, and the springs being horizontal, as before, their free arms work precisely as in the other cases. The weight of the plate is not sufficient to materially flex the spring-arms.

What I claim is 1. The combination with an axle and a suitable axle-box, of a dust-guard plate encircling the axle, and a spring, readily flexible vertically, pressing the plate to its seat,

and in practically non-sliding engagement one of the broader walls of the recess, and a spring extending obliquely from the plate to the opposite wall of the recess, freely flexible by the vertical movement of the plate, and in practically non-sliding engagement with both the plate and the recess-wall.

3. The combination with an axle and an axle-box having a pocket for a dust-guard plate, of a dust-guard plate encircling the axle and seated against one wall of said pocket, and a spring, extending obliquely from the plate to the opposite wall of the pocket, in substantially non-sliding engagement with both the plate and the pocket-wall and adapted to be flexed by vertical movements of the plate.

4. The combination with an axle and an axle-box having a suitable pocket, of a dustguard plate encircling the axle in said pocket and seated against one side of the latter, and springs above and below the axle independently pressing-the plate to its seat, each readily flexible in a vertical direction and each in substantially non-sliding engagement with both plate and axle-box.

5. The combination with a dust-guard plate, of spring-arms readily flexible laterally in all directions transverse to their general directions, extending obliquely from the nonworking surface of the plate and having ends adapted for practically non-sliding engagement with an axle-box.

6. The combination with a dust-guard plate, of spring-arms each readily flexible lat- In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES S. PATTEN.

Witnesses:

WALLACE GREENE, J. JEROME LIGHTFOOT. 

